Dr Lubabalo Mbekeni received his PhD in Social Work. Image: Shelley Christians/UWC

A lack of cohesive post-settlement support for land reform beneficiaries is a major obstacle to poverty reduction and long-term success in the country's land reform efforts.

This conclusion comes from a recent PhD thesis by Lubabalo Mbekeni of the University of the Western Cape. 

For Dr Mbekeni, who graduated during UWC’s Spring Graduation ceremony, the academic journey culminating in his PhD was bittersweet after his mother recently passed away.

“My mom passed on on August 10. We laid her to rest on August 23. She brought me here to UWC. I was hoping that she would be here when I graduate, but I’m pleased that my thesis was published in February and I got my completion certificate, which I could show to her,” said Dr Mbekeni.

He said land reform is one of the most critical instruments against poverty and that he was motivated to study further how this tool can be used in the hands of impoverished people to ensure the sustainability of their livelihoods.

He said land restitution is not just about land ownership but about empowering people to sustain their lives into the future. He understands what it means to be landless, having grown up in the rural areas, and also in Site C, Khayelitsha, where many people are impoverished.

“I grew up in a rural area, in a very dusty part of the Transkei, where land insecurity is the order of the day. If you talk about the insecurity of tenure, that’s where I come from.” 

Dr Mbekeni's study, which analyses the livelihoods of a community on the West Coast, found that while government programmes provide significant assets, these interventions are often undermined by poor integration and coordination. The study, "An analysis of livelihoods of land and agrarian reform beneficiaries: Towards integrated and comprehensive post-settlement support programmes," used a qualitative approach focusing on the Ebenhaeser community. 

This settlement, home to approximately 1,305 people, was selected as a case study because it has benefited from all three pillars of South Africa's land reform programme: land restitution, redistribution and tenure reform. The Ebenhaeser community received a substantial amount of land, becoming the largest single landowner in their region. This included 44 farms and 153 agricultural plots, totalling over 18,000 hectares. The government also invested heavily in physical infrastructure, such as an R86 million irrigation dam, road construction, and a new sewerage plan.

Additionally, the community received financial grants, agricultural machinery, and skills training in areas such as business administration and farming.

Despite these significant investments, the study revealed persistent challenges. Beneficiaries reported that the land claim process was slow, with some having waited decades for their land to be returned. The research also highlighted a fragmented and uncoordinated approach by government departments, both at and between national, provincial and local levels. This silo-based approach was found to lead to duplication and waste of resources, hindering the overall effectiveness of the support programmes.

For instance, one participant noted that various directorates within the same department would schedule separate meetings with the Communal Property Association (CPA). The study concluded that the restoration of land rights alone is not enough to alleviate poverty; it must be coupled with other development initiatives.

Based on the lessons learned from the Ebenhaeser case, Dr Mbekeni's study proposes a set of guidelines for policymakers and officials. These guidelines recommend:

• Prompt Land Transfer: Accelerating the process of finalising land claims to ensure beneficiaries, particularly first-generation claimants, receive their land.
• Integrated Support: Coordinating government support packages across all spheres and departments to avoid duplication and provide a more holistic solution.
• Strategic Acquisition: Prioritising the acquisition of well-located properties with access to essential resources like water, and assessing the quality and usefulness of movable and biological assets before purchase.
• Title Deeds: Moving away from a leasehold model for land redistribution to a freehold title, giving beneficiaries full ownership and enabling them to access credit and build generational wealth.
• Empowerment and Skills: Focusing on empowering beneficiaries to become drivers of their own development by providing technical, administrative and managerial skills training.

Dr Mbekeni’s research argues that by implementing these guidelines, South Africa can transform its land reform programme from a source of frustration and failed projects into a powerful tool for poverty reduction and sustainable development.